| Newfoundland 2005 |
| Thursday, July 7th
What horrible news greeted me when I woke up today! Vic called me on the radio in the morning and told me that there were bombings in London. I emailed my online British friend, Teddy, to make sure everything was okay with her. We kept getting conflicting reports from the news media here and in the States. The media here in North America was saying everything was fine and going along swimmingly. The people on radio, however, were telling a different story. I was relieved to get an email back from Teddy saying that she and her family were safe, but everything in London was shut down. God bless us every one. I think my father had the best solution to war way back when - he claimed that wars would be a heck of a lot shorter and fewer if we just let the Generals fight. Go for it, I say! Jim and I spent a goodly portion of the day listening to the world happenings and trying to make sense of it all. I can�t say we saw all things from the same side all the time, but we understood that nether was going to change the other�s mind and agreed to disagree. I decided to go to Signal Hill despite the cold, cold day. I always feel better on Signal Hill, with today no exception. I enjoyed watching the locals who came for their fix too. A city truck pulled in next to me, and the occupants got out and enjoyed the sights, smells and sounds. Then 15 minutes later, they took off to do whatever their job is. That�d be me if I lived here. If you wanted to find me on my break, you�d know where to look. A policeman did the same thing, and a guy in a radio van. I got such a kick out of it! Some spirit here won�t let me go, but I�m not trying to get away. I belong here. To tell you the truth, I don�t remember what we did the rest of the evening. I think I was just too pooped. Friday, July 8th My last weekend in Newfoundland for 2005. Very, very mixed feelings about this. I got very bad news about the health of a family member and really want to fly home today to be there for both him and Vic. It sounds like Karen is missing her mother, too. I am missing Vic. I think a week was fine without him but it�s wearing on me now. Nice to have your loved one with you, you know? It�s been one hell of a day. And that�s all I�m going to say about that. Oh � and I love my daughter. I did take the time out on this beautifully sunny day to wander off downtown at lunchtime to the Harbourside Park near the War Memorial and catch the first in a summer series of shows to be given. Atlantic Union was playing today with a substitute band member - Dave Panting! The other band member is a dentist and was called into work today so Dave was asked to sit in. No complaints from here! I was introduced to Atlantic Union several years ago when I heard them at the Folk Festival here in St. John's. Jim Fidler had produced their self-titled CD and it was marvelous (as is anything that Jim puts his hand to). They finally released another CD last winter, changing band membership in the meantime. Although I feel the first CD is better, the second is still good. Folk music from North America and the British Isles is the genre. The backdrop of the harbour for the band on such a glorious day was perfect as the opened with The Water Is Wide. I sang along in the harmony I use at church. Sounded pretty good, if I say so myself! Dan played an electric 6-string bouzouki, which his kids insist is called "the electric zucchini." Sally used a coriander spice jar as a shaker. Sounded as good as any chicken shakers I had heard! Pack up your Sorrows was next and I sang along with that too. Dave looked a bit tired. He'd left Erin's after we had last night. But it didn't affect his playing any - still sounded great. Dan broke a string, so Sally took the opportunity to sing alone a song called You Mariners All, from the album Jim produced. It's one of my favorites from that album about the singer's fondness for grog - "transform me then into a fish and let me swim in a jug of this." She went right into Mr. Fox from their new album. It sounds like a trad but it isn't. Dave used his guitar for percussion and Dan said it was written in "freezhian mode," whatever that is. The Forest of Garth was the first in a series of tunes they played next. He didn't know quite what was coming after that till he launched into it. Sally played spoons for this one. So far we'd seen her play shaker, spoons and bodhran. She was squirting water like crazy on the bodhran to keep it in tune - it was hot and windy. After he was finished, Dan announced two of the titles of the tunes he played. One was called Paresis and the other, You Borrowed my Toque and Put a Hole in It and You'll Not Get the Lend of It Again. LOL! A song called When First into This Country and a tune called Raw Recruit were next. They then did a song written for Frank Maher and Stan Pickett, two of St. John's veteran accordion players, called the Streets of St. John's. Followed by Blooming Bright Star of Belle Isle, where Dan played both guitar and fiddle! The Road to Lidoonvarna and The Swallowtail Jig were enjoyed by people of all ages watching the show. A day care center had come and hunkered down for entertainment while some of the kids enjoyed the company of the two dog statues at the park � a Newfoundland and a Labrador Retriever. The Star of the County Down is one of my favorite songs and I certainly enjoyed their rendition of it, although I will say my favorite rendition was done by Kilt several years ago. The closing song was a series of jigs and reels some of which were: Smash the Windows and Whiskey Before Breakfast. I totally enjoyed the show and it took my mind off some of the bad news from the day before. Plus it was such a gorgeous St. John�s Day! I drove back to the house but stopped at the KFC to take a photo of one of the best views in the city. The KFC sits on Duckworth, right above the end of Water Street, next to the Harbour View Hotel. One whole wall is windows facing the harbour right at the Narrows. Even if you don�t enjoy the food, I think you�d go just to sit and watch the scenery every once in a while. To my surprise, Jim had a guest in the house. I had forgotten that Sheilagh O�Leary was coming today to take photos of Jim for the Naked Whistle Players calendar, sponsored by the St. John�s Folk Arts Council. I thought Jim was being a good sport about it since his application to sing at the Festival this year had been turned down. Sheilagh does nice work, at least for the other two Naked Player calendars she�d shot � Accordionists the first year and Guitarists http://www.sjfac.nf.net/calendar/calendar.html last year. She said in my brief chat with her that the first one was easy to do, but that she spends � of her time convincing people she will not make them look silly, but they�ll look good. She�s an expert with shadows and angles. You should see Pamela Morgan�s shot last year with the guitar. Whoa! THAT looked good! GBS�s Bob Hallett had posed for the first calendar, the accordion one, and I ended up buying a dozen to mail out to friends on several continents. Last year�s was amazing with the women taking the best shots I think. We joked on GBS�s messageboard this winter that the next calendar would be whistle players and how could you hide anything there? I nearly died laughing last week when Jim was asked to pose. �But we were just kidding about the whistles!� I wasn�t laughing at his being asked to pose, just at the absurdity of hiding anything behind a whistle. Jim�s found a way to pose and still be decent. Of course the Low D covers some territory. LOL! I won�t tell you how it turns out. Go buy the calendar and support some good Folk music. Lillian had arrived and the photo shoot commenced upstairs as I tried to be casual downstairs, knowing full well the mischief happening elsewhere. I kept myself busy on the phone. I had spent the last 10 days trying to pay my speeding ticket online. It kept telling me that my ticket number didn�t exist. I finally tried to call the 800 number to pay it as well as the regular number when that didn�t pan out. It was rapidly coming upon the date it was supposed to be paid by. When I finally got through to a human, she explained to me that I�d have at least 30 more days to pay it since they were 5,000 tickets behind in entering them into the system � hence my ticket not existing yet. The rest of the afternoon was a washout and I won�t go into it. But to quote my favorite Great Big Sea song, �at the end of the day, you�ve just got to say �It�s all right�!� And right now, �I�ve got a smile on my face and I�ve got four walls around me.� We figured out a way to make it good in the end. I had a little time before supper so I took off for a little sojourn over to Blackhead, a little village on the way to Cape Spear. Last year we looked into a house that was for sale here, but it was too late and we didn�t have the funds anyway. The inhabitants have a lovely view of the entrance to St, John�s harbour. But Jim and Lillian say the weather is brutal in the winter. Maybe just as well we didn�t have the funds. LOL! I parked the car and got out to sit on the rocks and enjoy the early evening. I sat on a rock outcropping off the Trail and enjoyed the view of Cabot Tower and Signal Hill in the distance. It was so relaxing after the tense afternoon, sitting by the sea, listening to the waves against the rocks and savoring the sea air. Plus there was a nice breeze. I was a happy camper! |